Sorrow Lasts Through This Night
by DecemberWildfire
Summary: Tragedy strikes when May's family passes away in a car accident. She is sent to live with her cold-hearted Uncle Tom, and soon falls victim to a forced circus act. One night, Tom decides to give the audience a night to remember. Will Drew come to her rescue? Those two will have an experience that will change their lives forever. (Contestshipping inspired by Flyleaf.)
1. Heading Home

A/N: So, this is my **first** fanfic ever. I know it's not perfect, but no flames, okay? I'd appreciate it.

This is a **Contestshipping** story, and is based off of Flyleaf's song and music video for "Sorrow." That video strongly inspired the idea for this story.

And just know that this story, for the most part, is probably darker and more melancholy than your average Contestshipping fic, but it WILL have a happy ending, and the darker parts are supposed to make the story deeper, NOT make it depressing.

And finally, be aware that there is some spiritual content at the end. As a Christian myself, it just naturally comes out in my writing, and is NOT intended to offend anyone. So yeah, just know in advance that it's there, but it's really nothing too extreme imo.

So yeah. My first fic. I would love feedback, but again, no attacks please. (:

Disclaimer: I have NO ownership of Pokemon or Flyleaf or anything else referenced in this story. Those rights belong to their respective owners.

* * *

"Congratulations, Drew. I always knew you'd be a champion," said a very red-faced May to Johto's Grand Festival victor. Drew gave his usual smirk and hair flip, but then turned and gave her a sincere smile. "Thanks May. I gotta say, you were good. That last battle was probably the most intense I've ever experienced. You've come far, kid." May blushed even harder. "Wow… thank you. That means a lot…"

Drew's cockiness returned soon enough. "Of course, you've still got some work to do before you beat _me_." May then came back as well. The redness in her face quickly turned from blushing to anger and she scoffed and turned away.

It's no secret that those two have had feelings for each other ever since their days in Hoenn. Ever since May went solo and went to Johto with Drew, their time spent together has significantly increased… as well as their feelings. Now that Drew had won the Johto Grand Festival, he became even more attractive to May. While they were enjoying themselves at this banquet, Drew also couldn't keep his eyes off his rival.

Those two are now sixteen years old. They had traveled together for the last couple months of their journey, and those months were full of bickering, snarky comments, and most of all, ever-growing infatuation. But of course, both of them had too much pride to ever admit it.

Towards the end of the party, May and Drew went out to the ballroom's balcony. The moon was shining brightly that night, and it was a quiet night in Goldenrod, other than the muffled sounds of the party going on behind those glass doors. "So, I think I'll head home for a while," said Drew casually as he stared out into the distance. "What? You mean you're not gonna compete now?" asked a very concerned May. She wanted to keep going, but not without him. "Well, not for now. Ya know, there's nothing wrong with taking a break every once in a while, May." He looked at her with those gorgeous emerald eyes, and in that sweet way that made her melt. "Besides," he said as he looked away and flipped his hair, "I just won. I don't feel the need to pick up right away and start again." May simply looked down. She had never gone to a region to compete in her entire journey without Drew there. "Well… I guess a little break wouldn't hurt. My Pokemon could use some rest. And I'm sure my family would like to have me home." She looked up, and her shining sapphire eyes secretly made him melt inside as well. "I'm gonna leave for Hoenn tomorrow," she said. Deep down, that made Drew's heart hurt a little, as he realized this would be the last night he'd spend with her for a while. But he put on his usual, cocky front and said, "Sounds good."

Moments later, Harley shoved the doors open with a huge grin. "Awwww, look what we have here. Starry night on a balcony… how very Romeo and Juliet of you two."

"HARLEY! For the last time, there's NOTHING going on with us," exclaimed May, who was very red in the face again. Drew simply rolled his eyes. "Honey, you're a fool if you think I'll ever believe that. But don't worry dollface; I think it's precious. You two are totes adorbs."

The next day, the two said goodbye and parted ways. "May, just let me know what you wanna do when you're ready to go again," Drew said. He climbed onto his Flygon and flew back to La Rousse, and May took a ferry to Petalburg. She arrived at the front doors of the city's gym, and was greeted by a very excited young man. "MAY! You're home!" exclaimed her brother Max as he went in for a tight embrace. "Aw Max, I've missed you so much." Those two hadn't seen each other since May's earliest days in Johto, before Max decided to return home. Norman and Caroline came out shortly thereafter and were ecstatic to have their daughter home.

The family enjoyed their reunion and two weeks full of time spent together.

* * *

Next chapter: Tragedy strikes.


	2. Tragedy Strikes

A/N: So, that first chapter was rather upbeat, but like I said before, it's not gonna be like that for the whole story. Just be aware of that so that this next chapter won't be too much culture shock. I'm not feeling very confident with that first chapter because, like I said, it's my first one ever. But again, I'd love some constructive feedback so I can improve. (:

* * *

"May? MAY! Wake up, it's past noon. Wake up, lazy bum!"

The teenager simply ignored her brother's yelling from behind her door. Being at home was the only time she ever got to sleep in and have time for herself. It was like taking a Sabbath day… every day. For the time that she was home, she sent her Pokemon to live with her grandparents who lived overseas. She figured they deserved some spoiling after a long journey of hard work.

"Well. Good afternoon, sunshine," said Norman to his groggy daughter as she was finally joining them in the kitchen. "We're all gonna go to the mall in Rustboro this evening and maybe see a movie. Do you need anything? Do you want to come along?"

"Nah, that's okay. I think I'll hang out here today and catch up on some reading. Thanks for the invite though."

Max rolled his eyes and whispered, "Lazy bum."

"I heard that."

"Norman, are you sure we should be driving tonight? The weatherman said there's supposed to be a heavy rain storm," asked Caroline.

"Oh, we'll be fine. That crazy Walter Nichols never gets it right, anyways."

Around 6:00 that evening, the three of them left, while May continued her Sabbath by sitting around and watching TV.

"We'll be back around 9, okay sweetie?" Caroline shouted from the other room as she was going out the door.

"Sounds good, Mom. Have fun."

After a while, May muted the TV. She looked out the window, and it turns out that crazy weatherman was right. She watched the rain pouring down and listened to the sound of thunder shaking the ground. She couldn't stop thinking about Drew. It had been two weeks since she'd seen him, and she couldn't get the image of his green eyes and sweet smile out of her head. She even missed his sarcastic comments and their little fights. There was something about him that she couldn't understand, but she had never felt so strongly for someone. She was just excited to get back on the road and start competing again… with him there too.

9:30 came. May started to wonder where they were. Probably traffic. She looked back at the TV and un-muted it, and saw a breaking news report that had come on. Apparently there was a serious car accident on Route 104. "Man. That's really unfortunate. I hope those people are okay," she thought as she got up to get some water. She came back and heard the reporter say, "The victims in the vehicle that made contact with the other are fine, though they were found to be under the influence of alcohol. However, the victims in the other vehicle unfortunately did not make it. And on closer inspection, those victims appear to be the Maple family of the Petalburg gym."

May's glass of water slipped from her hand as he heard those words. She stood there open-mouthed; speechless. Was this real life? No way. That can't be right. They must've found people who looked like them, but it wasn't them. It couldn't be.

Soon enough, she broke down. She threw the remote at the TV and broke the screen, and collapsed to her knees. Moments later, there was a knock on the door.

A mess, she got up and answered it. Officer Jenny was there, along with a few others behind her, and she already knew why. "Excuse me, you are May Maple, correct?" And she had to hear the story of how her father's car was hit by that of a drunk driver. She just stood there lifeless as Jenny was explaining everything. "By law, you are now required to live with your closest relative, Tom Maple, who lives in Odale Town."

That was what caught May's attention. Uncle Tom… Dad's older brother. She was never a fan of that man. They had only met a couple of times, back when she was younger, but even at a young age, she sensed something was not right with him. He seemed cold and heartless. "However, since you are a Pokemon trainer, you could also leave and continue your journey." May looked up at Jenny. "Well… my Pokemon are overseas with my grandparents right now… and I don't think I'm ready to leave yet. Not now…"

"Very well then. You have tonight to pack up your things, and tomorrow you will be escorted to your uncle's house."

The next day, May and an officer arrived at Tom's place in Odale. It was a huge place, as Tom was very rich, but it was also very old and kind of sketchy. The officer explained everything to Tom, and then May was left alone with him. She was too grieved to even care too much about his heartless vibes and his empty eyes. "Well, May. It's been a while. I'm sorry to hear about your circumstances." She simply looked at him and nodded. A young woman dressed like a maid came out and smiled warmly at her.

"This is Layla. She will show you to your room."

"This is where you'll be staying, May," said Layla as she walked her to a small bedroom. It was very dark and had no windows, and was about half the size of a small college dorm room. She put her things down, tears coming down her face. "This is only temporary," she thought. "Only until I'm done mourning and until my Pokemon are sent back next month."

"May," Layla said softly, before going in for a hug. "I'm so sorry. Please let me know if you need anything." She walked out, giving May some time to herself, and returned later that night. "Oh, I forgot. Tom wanted me to give this to you." Layla handed her a beautiful white dress. "Now, get some rest," she said, as she started walking out. When she got to the door, she turned her head and had a look of sorrow on her face. "You'll need it."

* * *

A/N: So... yeah, don't say I didn't warn you that things would get deep and intense. And yes, it's going to continue, BUT, as I stated at the beginning, it WILL end happy. It's just not gonna be a cliché, rainbows and unicorns type of story. (Not that there's anything wrong with those).

I didn't describe it in too much detail, but I kind of imagine Tom's house to look like Count Olaf's from A Series of Unfortunate Events. Well, my idea was a little inspired by that, anyway.

And yeah, I don't know if anyone caught it, but I couldn't help but slip in that Drake & Josh reference for that weatherman part.

Next chapter: Circus for a Psycho. (No Skillet pun intended)


	3. Circus for a Psycho

May woke up the next morning, though it still seemed like nighttime since the room was so dark, other than a couple small, very dim lights in the room. "I need some fresh air," she thought, so she headed downstairs. She went to open the front door, but it wouldn't budge. She turned around to find Tom standing there. "Um, Uncle Tom… I think something's wrong with this door."

"Nothing's wrong with the door, hun. You're not going anywhere."

May stood there for a second, confused. "Um… what? What are you talking about?" But then her eyes widened and her heart began pounding with fear. "Uncle Tom, open the door. Let me out."

"By law, you're under my custody now. And that means you're going to work for me."

She ran to the nearest window and tried opening it, with Tom nonchalantly following and watching. "They're all bolted down, sweetheart." She picked up a heavy object and threw it at the window. "Bulletproof as well." She looked at him with red eyes. "Well then I'll just break down these walls."

"You're a fool if you think you'll ever break through THESE walls."

She fell down and tears began pouring down her face.

"People are getting tired of always seeing Layla playing the main act on stage, so you're taking over. You're gonna do it, and if you fight it or try anything fancy, there's gonna be hell to pay." And he walked off.

Minutes later, Layla came running in, also watery-eyed and going in for an embrace. "Oh May, I'm so sorry. I tried to stop him. I begged him to just let me keep playing the part, but he refused." She let go of May and looked her in the eyes. "Just promise me one thing: don't try to fight him on this. Believe me, I've tried that before. You don't want to face the consequences." May saw the honesty in her eyes and could tell she was very concerned for her. Reluctantly, she said, "Okay."

Tom Maple was a very wealthy man. He ran his own theatrical production, where he forced people like May and Layla to play the parts he assigned, both cast and crew. It was all free labor for them, but a currency generator for him. Maple Productions put on shows every single weekend, and the audiences varied from a few people to full houses. The workers and actors were always under constant pressure to perform to perfection for their master, while Tom was the man sitting in the back, feet up, with a glass of liquor in hand. The only time he ever opened the door to his building was to let the audience in, meanwhile his labor slaves would be locked in their dressing rooms until he let them out.

May was put through rehearsal for the many different plays Tom had for her. She was the lead role, and every single weekend she had to wear that white dress and was made up like a doll. It was true that the audience had grown tired of Layla as the lead and wanted another attractive female to spice things up. So May was that new female, and Layla was given the job of dolling her up every night.

A month passed. May had gone into depression. She was hoping that somebody might come looking for her, or that her Pokemon would be sent to her and she could use them to escape. However, when neither of those things happened, her hope started running thin. But she was thankful that she had Layla as a trustworthy friend, who completely understood everything she was going through. She got used to the routine: during the week, she was up bright and early and rehearsing with the cast until the dark hours of night. On the weekend, she'd put on her dress, Layla would do her hair and makeup, and she was on stage performing her circus act. She'd get her weekly review from Tom and the cycle would repeat.

One day, Tom interrupted rehearsal. "Let's do something different. You," he pointed at James, one of the actors. "And YOU," pointing at May. "We're gonna bring in some romance into this thing. It's what the people want to see. You two are going to be lovers. The story? Figure it out. I want something good." And he exited the room.

May and James looked at each other, not fans of the idea, but knowing it had to be done. The weekend came, and the director had come up with a great romance story for them to act out, and it met Tom's approval. So much so that it became the new weekly theme. Every play had to have those two playing romantic lovers.

After a month of that, at the end of a play one night, May came to Layla in tears. "I… I don't want to kiss him anymore."

Layla held her in her arms. "May… there's someone else, isn't there?"

May's heart skipped a beat. Drew. She had never missed him more than she did in that moment. What was he doing right now? What was he doing while she was living in this sorrow?

"Yes. Yes there is."

* * *

A/N: Wow. I never know how these chapters are gonna turn out, since I'm really just winging it.

Again, this story is based off the music video of "Sorrow" by Flyleaf, and I highly recommend checking it out. For one thing, it'll help provide a visual if you're a visual person, but it's also an amazing song, video, band. I'm a Flyleaf fanatic. 3

Anyways. Another chapter and a half of sadness, and then things will get happy, so bear with me. :P

Next: A Night to Remember


	4. A Night to Remember

A/N: So, before I continue with May, I'm gonna do a cutaway to Drew and what he's been up to. Besides, he plays a very important role coming up… *wink*

* * *

Drew lay in bed, staring at the photograph from the Grand Festival. He was standing on a pedestal with his ribbon cup, and May and Harley were right below him, as they had come in 2nd and 3rd place. He couldn't help but feel proud of himself in all his glory. However, that pride and hype had begun to fade, as the Grand Festival was almost three months ago now. He meant to get back on the road ages ago, but lacked motivation. For one thing he had won and didn't have that fire to keep improving at that point in time and wanted to let others experience victory like he had (which was the cocky excuse he gave to people). But the other, more impactful reason, was May. Those two were planning on traveling to Orre, but not only had he not heard from her at all, but there was no record of her entering any contests over there. Things weren't the same with her gone, and he didn't want to compete without her there.

As time went on, he started really missing her, and also becoming impatient. He decided to call Petalburg gym and give her a hard time about being lazy and asking why she couldn't take the simple initiative to call and not keep him waiting. After a few attempts with no answer, he gave up and was frustrated and hurt. What if she found someone else? What if she completely forgot about him? He hated those thoughts.

He remained in La Rousse, still not feeling the fire to compete. He became very bored, but even more so, heartbroken, as the idea of May walking out on him grew on him more and more. One day in his room, he looked up at the big, shiny cup that sparkled gold in a glass case on the wall. That was all he had now. Just his shiny cup. Similarly to May, he also sent his Pokemon away to a paradise resort for a while. As he remembered the 5 minutes of glory he had, and continued to stare at the cup, he suddenly felt so empty. He had worked his whole life for this, and now it's there, staring him in the face. But he still felt empty. Something's missing.

And oddly enough, he felt that there was something even greater than May or his Pokemon that was missing. But he shook the idea and left the house.

He walked downtown for a while. There was a lot of commotion at the local venue; some band called Flyleaf was playing a concert. He wanted nothing to do with it, so he kept walking. However, he heard the vocalist sing: "Something's missing in me; I felt it deep within me, as lovers left me to bleed alone." Stunned, he stood in place for a moment. "That's it. She found someone else. What other explanation is there?" he thought. He walked further downtown, looking gloomy and pale. He walked past the local church that was in session, and a man was standing outside. He noticed the teenager's sorrowful expression, and kindly stopped him. "Hey, are you okay there?" Drew snapped out of his daze and looked up. He flicked his hair and said, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just spaced out, but I really need to go." The man looked at him for a second and said, "Hey. I know you have this feeling of emptiness and like you're longing for something." Drew looked up with shock. "What the heck? How would you…"

"I know you have this hurt in your heart, and you don't know what it is or how you can fix it. I know you said you have to go, but just know this: soon He will perforate the fabric of the peaceful by and by." And he went back inside. Drew stood there speechless. "What does that even mean?" he thought. He was so weirded out by everything that was happening that day.

"You know what? This town is crazy today. I need to get out of here," he thought. And he decided he'd go to Petalburg and personally confront May, or at least ask her family where she went, and with who.

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Back at Maple Productions, May was lying awake in bed, staring at the dark ceiling and wondering if this routine would ever end. Also, remembering Drew and longing for him. Now she was left alone with only reflections of the memory. Even their worst fights seemed like something she'd kill to have again.

She stared at the wall, wishing she had her Blaziken to burn it down. She inscribed these words into it: "Sometimes life seems to quiet into paralyzing silence, like the moonless dark, meant to make me strong."

After their conversation that night, Layla went to Tom's office. "What do you want?" he asked, not looking up from his newspaper. "Tom… May doesn't want to kiss James anymore. Please don't make her do this. What if I take over her role for a little bit? I haven't been on stage in a while, so the people should be okay with it…"

"Enough. I decide what happens on stage, and you don't get to come butting in. Is that clear?"

Layla took a deep breath and said, "I understand. But I only say this because… May loves someone else, and so the stage romance just isn't… as real as it could be. Me? I don't have anyone else, so I could…"

"Layla, ENOUGH. One more argument from you, and I'm bringing out the whip. And you know something…"

"I'm sorry, sir. I'm going now."

"…I'm getting real sick of that May's attitude. She's always so melancholy. Ya know what… we're gonna do something different. I'll give that girl a role that fits her attitude. She'll pull it off real well. I'll give the audience a night to remember…"

* * *

A/N: Just an FYI, there are times throughout this story when I actually use lyrics from the song "Sorrow." Like, "Soon He will perforate the fabric of the peaceful by and by" is an example.

Also referenced their song "Missing" in this chapter.

The character James is this story is NOT James from Team Rocket. I just used that name because it's Flyleaf's drummer's name. (:

And like I said at the very beginning, there is some spiritual content in this. There was a little bit in this chapter, and there will be more in the next. Again, I'm not by any means trying to offend or "Bible thump" anybody. It's just a story. And it's a spiritual song as well, so it only makes sense. If you're not into that stuff, just take the story for what it is. Sorry, I know it's probably not necessary for me to make such a big note about that, but just to be clear I guess.

ANYWAYS. Last chapter: Saving Grace.


	5. Saving Grace

Drew knocked on the door of the Petalburg gym. An unfamiliar man answered, "Can I help you?" Drew, puzzled, replied, "Uh, yeah, I'm looking for… the gym leader."

"That would be me."

Drew was beyond confused at this point. "No, I mean… Norman. Where is he?"

The man sighed and gave the teenager a sincerely concerned look. "You didn't hear, did you?"

"Hear what? What's going on?"

"The Maple family… they passed away three months ago in a car accident. It was an awful tragedy. And I have to say, it's great being a gym leader, but I still feel guilty in this position of replacement. Norman was a good man."

Drew was lost for words. He almost let out a few tears, but wouldn't let it happen.

"…Although," the man spoke again. "Their daughter May is still alive, but she's not here anymore. It's a true miracle that one of them is still okay."

Drew looked up. "What? May's still alive? Where is she?!"

"I believe she's living with her uncle in Odale now. What was it called… Maple Studio? Maple Productions?"

"Got it. Thanks," Drew said quickly before he took off running for Odale.

"With everything that poor girl's gone through… at least she has a nice man who cares for her," the man said under his breath.

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"May… I tried talking to him and getting you out if it. I'm sorry. I really tried," Layla said as she was fixing May's hair for the show.

"That's okay, I'll be fine. I appreciate you trying…" May said with a forced smile, looking down.

"May, come here," Tom said from across the room.

"So, your role tonight is going to be different. Layla said you didn't want to kiss James anymore, so ya know what? You don't have to."

May let out a sigh of relief.

"Instead, tonight we're going to do a… diving bit. In the last scene, you'll be handcuffed and thrown into a tank of water. But don't worry, they'll pull you out at the end."

He walked away and whispered to Layla, "If you tell her, then you and your brother are next." Layla silently gasped in fear, and looked over at her brother mopping the wooden stairs.

"Wow. I guess he listened to you after all," May said, sitting back down.

"Yeah… guess so," said Layla softly, holding back the tears. She finished her makeup, put a crown on her head, and gave her some sparkly ruby shoes.

It was a full house that night. The lights went dim and the show began. Pat, the director, came out and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, tonight we present to you something like no other: 'Sorrow.' Enjoy the show."

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Drew arrived at the building halfway through the show. "Hey, I need to talk to May Maple. Is she here?" he asked the ticket receptionist. "Sorry man, but if you wanna go in there, you'll need a ticket."

"Fine, give me a ticket then."

He paid and ran in. The seats were full, but he wasn't interested in watching in the first place. He opened a door, one that Tom had accidentally forgotten to lock, and walked down the hallway, in hopes of finding May.

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The other actors were on stage doing their thing. "Maple, you're on stage in 60 seconds," Pat said.

"Well, here goes."

"May…" Layla spoke.

"Yeah?"

"You… you look beautiful."

"Thank you. I have a wonderful stylist."

She was escorted out by the others, and when they stepped on stage, the crowd stood up and started cheering excitedly.

"Excuse me?" Layla turned around and saw a green-haired boy standing there, out of breath. "I'm looking for May Maple. Do you know her?"

Tears started spilling down Layla's face. "Yes. I know her."

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"Ladies and gentlemen, you will remember this night," Pat said into the microphone.

The guys handcuffed May's hands behind her back and led her up the ladder to the tank. Pat gave the signal, and they pushed her in. The audience roared with excitement, and May remained in the tank, holding her breath, just waiting for them to pull her out.

She waited, but she wasn't being pulled out. Soon enough she couldn't handle it anymore and tried to surface, but they had covered the top of the tank. She then realized what was happening. This truly would be the last night of the routine.

She struggled, trying to get the cuffs off and trying to break the glass, but it was no use. When the audience realized what was happening, they screamed in horror and looked away. Soon she stopped trying to fight. And for a moment, she felt… peace. A kind of peace that was out of this world and that she had never felt before. And she thought she heard the words: "Joy will come."

"May! No!" Drew came running on stage. He used an axe he found backstage and broke the tank and pulled her out. The audience cheered, thinking it was all part of the act. Pat, going along with it all, closed out like he always did and the curtains were closed.

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"May? May can you hear me?" There was no response for a few minutes, but in due time the petite brunette opened her eyes and realized she was resting in the arms of the man she loved. "Drew? What ha- is this real life?" The green-haired man smirked and said, "You don't miss anything, do you?"

Ecstatic, she sat up and wrapped her arms around him. Layla was ecstatic too, for she thought that was going to be the last night she'd ever see her friend.

A furious Tom came storming in. "HEY! What the hell do you think you're doing? Do you think that was cute, that little stunt you pulled?! And YOU. *Points to Layla*. You said something, didn't you? Well I tell you, I'm not holding back on my word. You and your brother Jared are both-"

"Not so fast!" An officer Jenny army came running in, shortly after Drew made the call. "Tom Maple, you are under arrest for human labor trafficking." The man was handcuffed and escorted outside, and the laborers were all set free.

"Drew, I… I'm sorry I never got back to you. You wouldn't believe-"

"May, I know. Trust me, I understand. It's okay. Let's get out of here."

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The two walked down the streets of Odale for hours. May was filling him in on everything, and eventually, she unintentionally admitted, "I really like you and I've missed you and there's no one on earth I'd rather spend my life with." She freaked out and blushed when she realized she said that. Drew, for the first time, found the strength to swallow his pride and say, "Me too. I'm done pretending. I came to find you because I care about you. And tonight made me realize that I don't have all the time in the world to wait around before telling you, so I'm not gonna play this game anymore. I like you."

May was at a loss for words, but in a good way. Drew handed her a rose. "Not for Beautifly. For you, and always for you." He looked over and smirked in the way she had missed so much.

"Hey May, wait a second."

They turned around and saw Layla running up behind them. "Are you going to be okay?"

May looked at Drew and smiled, and looked back at her. "Yeah. I'll be fine." Layla smiled and whispered in her ear: "He's the one, isn't he?"

May smiled and nodded. Layla hugged her and turned around and started walking. She stopped for a second, turned her head and said, "May? I want you to always remember one thing: soon He will perforate the fabric of the peaceful by and by."

With that, she was off. May stood there, at first confused, but moments later she understood with complete clarity. Someday she would be reunited with her family. This clarity was like when she heard the words "joy will come" while she was in the tank. There was Something so much greater that she'd been missing in her heart this whole time. Something so much more than she could've ever imagined.

"Someone said those exact words to me the other day, before I left to find you," Drew said, as he stood there frozen.

"Drew… I think there's something greater we need to pursue. Something greater than a big, golden cup."

Drew looked at her with wide eyes. "You mean-"

She looked up towards the sky and whispered, "For just one second I felt whole, as You flew right through me."

She looked back at Drew. "You know, Layla told me she used to go to this church when she lived in Orre. Drew, let's go to Orre."

It was then that Drew realized what the man back in La Rousse was talking about. He realized why he was feeling so empty, realized what that band was singing about, and realized what was missing in him.

"Let's go to Orre."

~.~.~.~.~~.~.~.~.~~.~.~.~.~~.~.~.~.~~.~.~.~.~~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~~.~.~.~.~

Pat, now a free man, sat by a lake on the edge of Odale that night, and watched the couple walk out into the distance. As he watched them, he softly spoke the words: "Sorrow lasts through the night, but joy will come in the morning."

* * *

A/N: THE END. This story was a lot of fun to write, and I must say I'm feeling inspired now and will likely write more in the future.

So confession: I literally wrote this whole story in one day, one sitting. Took maybe a couple hours lol. I've learned not to do that in future fics, but if there are any obvious mistakes, lack of organization, etc. that's probably why. :P

I know the whole tank concept is what some might call morbid, but again, it's NOT meant to be morbid and it's based off a music video, and I just added a backstory to it all. I strongly encourage anyone who reads this to watch it. Flyleaf – Sorrow. They're a phenomenal band.

Feedback is still welcome (: I really love and appreciate anyone who takes the time to read this story. My first, but hopefully not my last. We'll see. So… yeah. Review if you want and I'll see you next time. ;D


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